Roger K. Newman, a Research Scholar at New York University School of Law, has taught Constitutional Law at New York University and was the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship.
"A massive work of uncommon depth and grace, written in subtle, luminous prose. This is more than just a major contribution to the history of the Court, it is a master's finely etched portrait of an American hero." -Kirkus Reviews
"A massive work of uncommon depth and grace, written in subtle, luminous prose. This is more than just a major contribution to the history of the Court, it is a master's finely etched portrait of an American hero." -Kirkus Reviews
Supreme Court Associate Justice Hugo Black is described by the author as controversial and influential: controversial for an earlier Ku Klux Klan membership; influential for his lasting impact on the law. Best known for an absolutist belief in the Bill of Rights as a guarantee of civil liberties, Black helped define modern American constitutional law. Newman almost lovingly delves into the private and public life of this complex man who characterized himself as merely a "country fellow." While there are other prominent works on Black, most, like Howard Ball and Phillip J. Cooper's Of Power and Right (Oxford Univ. Pr., 1992), focus on Black's often stormy relationships with Court colleagues like William O. Douglas and Felix Frankfurter. Black's memoirs, Mr. Justice and Mrs. Black (LJ 3/1/86), provided a first look at the private man. Now, Newman has brought both sides together in an admirable biography. If there is any real reservation, it is only that Hugo Black will compete for the reader's time and attention with Gerhard Gunther's Learned Hand (LJ 5/1/94). But we can only feel satisfied with two excellent judicial biographies appearing in the same year. Highly recommended.-Jerry E. Stephens, U.S. Court of Appeals Lib., Oklahoma City
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